


Fade out

by wolfodder



Category: VIXX
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-29
Updated: 2017-06-29
Packaged: 2018-11-21 05:42:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11351061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfodder/pseuds/wolfodder
Summary: From his position on the bleachers - empty, because it’s almost evening and there are no games today - he sees a boy on the ground, looking up at him. He’s surprised; he didn’t notice the boy at all until he announced his presence.





	Fade out

**Author's Note:**

> Got the request "navi + something related to ghosts" soo here's this :^) enjoy!

“What are you reading?”

Wonshik startles and looks up. From his position on the bleachers - empty, because it’s almost evening and there are no games today - he sees a boy on the ground, looking up at him. He’s surprised; he didn’t notice the boy at all until he announced his presence.

“I’m, uh, studying for my music theory test,” he says.

“Ohh, music! I love music. I want to see,” says the boy and starts climbing up the bleachers to approach him. He looks kind of pale, almost sickly, and Wonshik has never seen him before. He wonders who he is.

When the boy arrives at Wonshik’s side, he bends over the book with curious eyes. “This is cool,” he says quietly after a short while of studying it, smiling a little. “I did dance, when I went to this school. It was great. Kind of miss it.”

“You used to go here? When did you graduate?” Maybe this guy is older than he looks? Wonshik tries to look for a sign of age, but other than his somewhat sunken eyes and pale skin, he can’t tell.

The boy thinks for a moment, eyes shifting, before he replies. “... A while ago. I can’t remember the year.”

“It can’t be that long ago,” Wonshik says in disbelief. Why wouldn’t he remember the year he graduated?

“I really don’t remember!” the boy insists, and then changes the subject. “What’s your name?”

Figuring he might as well not pry, Wonshik goes along with it. “Wonshik. Who are you?”

“Hakyeon.” He smiles at Wonshik. “Nice to meet you.”

“Do you still dance?” Wonshik asks. He thinks of the amount of people who have asked him what he would do after studying music, as if he would stop loving it, and wonders how Hakyeon feels about it now.

Hakyeon leans against the bench behind him and hums. Just sitting so still, unmoving, he looks like he isn’t even breathing. Wonshik is captivated. “I do, sometimes. I never perform, though. I used to, but now it wouldn’t be any use.”

“Why not?”

“It’s been some time. I sort of… faded away,” says Hakyeon softly, and upon seeing Wonshik’s sad expression, hurries to add, “but it’s okay! I don’t mind it, really. I enjoy dancing for myself.”

“Sure,” says Wonshik. He earns another smile from Hakyeon, a grateful smile that makes him feel warm inside.

It’s silent between them for some time and Wonshik doesn’t have much to say, so he looks at his feet, ahead at the lacrosse field. Hakyeon doesn’t seem to mind, looking up at the sky, watching the sun set.

“Ah, the sun is almost down,” he comments. “Aren’t you going home?”

“Soon, I guess. Aren’t you?” Wonshik counters.

“There’s not much for me at home.” He doesn’t look regretful or upset - he’s simply stating his reason.

Again, Wonshik feels like he shouldn’t pry. After all, he and Hakyeon barely know each other - surely not enough to divulge personal things. So he just nods, and says, “So what are you doing tonight?”

Hakyeon hums. “Thinking of staying here all night.”

“Wait, really?” It’s so unexpected that Wonshik almost falls off the bench while turning to Hakyeon, who looks at him in concern - as if he’s the one to be worried about. “I mean, is that going to be comfortable? Can you actually do that?”

“Why not? I’ve done it before. I slept in the practice rooms several times.” Hakyeon tilts his head as though he can’t fathom what might be wrong with sleeping at school. Maybe he can’t.

“Won’t you be caught?” Wonshik tries. “I don’t think the school will appreciate you hanging around, especially if you’re not a student here.”

Shrugging, Hakyeon smiles at him. “Not to worry, Wonshik; no one will find me.”

It doesn’t seem entirely right to Wonshik, that Hakyeon should sleep here tonight, but he isn’t sure what to say. He grimaces. “If you won’t go home… maybe you could stay at my place tonight? I have room.”

“I appreciate the offer, I really do, but it’s okay,” says Hakyeon, not unkindly but with a tone of finality, so Wonshik relents. Hakyeon’s eyes soften. “You should go home. It was nice to meet you. Maybe we’ll see each other again if you come back here at this time.”

“Is that the only way we could meet again?” Wonshik asks, not because he’s that desperate to see Hakyeon again - although he thinks he really would like it - he’s simply curious about the strange wording.

“I think so,” says Hakyeon. “I’ll be here often, though, if you do want to chat.”

Wonshik wonders how long that will last; it seems like Hakyeon may have issues back home, if he’s spending a lot of time at his old school. If his problems are fixed, where will Hakyeon go then? With a small huff, Wonshik gets to his feet and gathers his belongings.

“Okay, I’ll see you then,” he says once he’s ready to go. Hakyeon gives him a little friendly wave, and he slowly starts to walk, steps heavy with tiredness and confusing thoughts weighing him down.

He wonders who Hakyeon is, wonders about his real story. He wants to get to know him better. The more he thinks about it, he remembers hearing the name Cha Hakyeon somewhere at school. A strange feeling settles in his stomach as he thinks about it, and he turns back to look at Hakyeon.

The bleachers are empty, like when he came there earlier in the afternoon, no sign of another person having been there. His heart rate picks up, but somehow he isn’t really surprised. “Hakyeon?” he tries, just in case the boy has hidden somewhere in the short time he was turned away. No one responds. The silence is suddenly overwhelming.

Shuddering, he turns back and speeds up a little, hurrying to get off the school’s property. “Cha Hakyeon,” he mumbles to himself, as though he might forget the name if he doesn’t repeat it. “Cha Hakyeon…”

_Cha Hakyeon was a dedicated student and passionate dancer who caught the eye of many…_

Slowly, he remembers where he’s heard the name before; he saw it under an old picture in the hallway at his school.

_… passed away in an accident in 2004…_

Wonshik’s legs give out under him, and he slumps down in the middle of the parking lot.

Did he meet a dead person?

He thinks about Hakyeon never performing anymore; the way he talked about fading away; how no one will find him if he stays on the bleachers all night.

_There’s not much for me at home._

Was Hakyeon, the boy he met, a ghost? He looked so… normal. And yet, the loose threads seem to come together at this idea. Hakyeon was practically screaming it at him, and he couldn’t connect the dots until now.

But ghosts aren’t real, he tells himself. They simply can’t exist. He doesn’t know how to explain this otherwise, explain how Hakyeon was suddenly gone without a trace, but he doesn’t know how to handle this thought either.

Scrambling to his feet, he retraces his steps back to the lacrosse field, the empty bleachers, almost dropping his schoolbag in his hurry. “Hakyeon!” he shouts. “Cha Hakyeon!”

“Wonshik?” There he stands, at the foot of the bleachers like the first time Wonshik saw him, surprise written on his face. Wonshik is positive he wasn’t there just a moment ago.

He stops running, bending over for a moment to catch his breath, and then he looks at Hakyeon, who suddenly looks so much more delicate. He wonders if he could touch Hakyeon, or if his hand would go straight through him.

“I-” He realizes that he didn’t really have an idea of what to say. “I’m sorry for what happened.”

Hakyeon looks at a loss of words himself. “Thanks,” he says quietly after a moment.

“A-are you going to be here all night?” Wonshik asks.

“I suppose,” Hakyeon says, with a sigh.

“Then, maybe… we could talk.”

Hakyeon’s expression brightens. “I’d like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> [twitter!](http://www.twitter.com/wolfodder)


End file.
